


Sunshine and Daisies

by buoyantsaturn



Series: Yellow Tulips and White Daisies [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alive Bianca, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, florist nico, flower symbolism, its all fluff here, nico's actually happy for once, u know bc bianca's not dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-14 02:56:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11199018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: Whenever Will needed a break from studying, or had spare time between classes, he liked to walk around the city, wandering into random shops and looking around for a little while.Will wanders into the di Angelo siblings' flower shop.





	Sunshine and Daisies

**Author's Note:**

> i got another 100 followers on tumblr in like a week???? thanks???? heres your prize  
> also lets all remember that everything i write is inconsistent and jumps around a lot and the same is true for this i hope u still like it

Whenever Will needed a break from studying, or had spare time between classes, he liked to walk around the city, wandering into random shops and looking around for a little while. He usually did his best to buy something so that he couldn’t be accused of loitering, but when Will found himself in the middle of a flower shop, he was at a loss for what to do. It wasn’t like he had anyone to buy flowers  _ for _ , and besides, he wouldn’t have time to take them anywhere before he had to be back at class, but he was already there and already looking around.

A girl walked by carrying a large basket of assorted flowers. She looked about Will’s height, Will’s age, with dark hair and light skin. She smiled at him when she passed. “Hi there! If you need any help finding anything specific, my brother’s right over there behind the counter.” She tipped her head in the direction of the far end of the shop before disappearing into a back room. 

Will continued to wander about, checking the time on his phone every once in a while as he studied all of the different flowers.

He eventually made his way across the store, and he could see the boy sitting behind the counter, playing on his phone. Even from a good distance, Will could tell that this boy and the girl he’d seen earlier were obviously siblings - they had the same dark hair and pale skin - but the boy was skinnier, and Will could see freckles dotting his cheeks.

Will took a deep breath. He was going to have to approach this boy when he went up to the counter to buy something. He would have to go up to this  _ cute  _ boy to buy  _ flowers. _  Was it too forward to buy the flowers and immediately give them to him? Probably. 

Will turned around, trying to clear his mind by taking his eyes off of the boy behind the counter. He could do this. He was going to go up to the counter and buy something, and talk to the cute boy, and he would leave in time for class. He would survive this.

He glanced around and noticed a small stand with individual flowers. The price sign next to the stand said three dollars. Will could do three dollars. He picked up a yellow flower, unsure of the species, and stepped up to the counter.

The boy looked up from his phone, apparently surprised that someone was actually there, but his surprise melted away quickly into a smile.

“Hi,” he said, leaning into the counter. Will had to look down a bit to meet his eyes. “Find everything alright?”

Will nodded and set the flower down on the counter. He looked at the boy’s name tag;  _ Nico. _

Nico picked up the flower and spun the stem between his fingers. “Do you know anything about flower symbolism?”

Will thought that was a weird question to be asked. “Um, no? I’ve never really thought much about it.”

“A yellow tulip is representative of hopeless love,” Nico told him, eyes locking on Will’s. “I hope you’re not buying this for a girl.”

Will cracked a smile, feeling his cheeks heating up. “No, not for a girl.”

“A boy?” Nico prodded, and Will ducked his head.

“Nope,” he said, raising his gaze to meet Nico’s eyes again. “Just for me.”

Nico’s smile seemed to brighten. “Well, not a bad flower to get yourself, I supposed.” He moved to the register and started hitting keys.

Will leaned in, hands resting on the edge of the counter. “And why’s that?”

“Well, the yellow tulip is also a symbol of cheerful thoughts and sunshine,” Nico answered. “That’ll be three dollars.”

Will handed over the money and Nico handed him back his flower. “Thank you, Nico,” Will said.

“Not a problem, Sunshine,” he replied, and now they were both leaning on the counter, awfully close to each other, considering how wide the barrier was between them.

Will’s phone alarm went off, and he scrambled to pull it out of his pocket. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go, I’ve got class in ten minutes.”

“You better come back,” Nico told him. “I don’t bust out flower symbolism for just anybody.”

Will just smiled at him before he was opening the door.

“That’s not an answer, Sunshine!”

Bianca came out from behind a shelf when she heard the door shut. “Sunshine, huh? Since when do you know so much about flower symbolism?”

Nico hid his burning face with his hands.

 

Will had sprinted the whole way back to campus, barely making it in time before the professor had shut and locked the door. He took his usual seat next to Lou Ellen, and set the tulip on the table in front of her.

“I hope you’re not trying to court me or something, Solace,” she said as she picked up the flower.

Will already had his head down on the desk, still breathing heavy from his run. “Apparently yellow tulip means hopeless love and sunshine, and I just met a really cute boy at a flower shop, Lou.”

“Well, you are the definition of hopeless love and sunshine,” Lou told him. “Good pick, I guess.”

“I think he was flirting with me!”

Lou poked a bony finger into his shoulder. “Hopeless.”

 

* * *

 

 

Will came back between classes the next day. This time, however, it was the girl behind the counter, not Nico.

“Hey,” she greeted, “Sunshine, right?”

Will blushed and rushed over to the counter. “Okay, this is good that you’re here, because normally when I ask someone out, I buy them flowers, but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t buy flowers for someone who works in a flower shop, right?”

“Well, not the  _ wrong _ flowers, that’s for sure,” said the girl -  _ Bianca, _  her name tag read.

“Would Nico  _ want _ flowers?” Will asked.

“Oh, absolutely,” Bianca said, nodding furiously. “Come with me, I’ll make you a bouquet.”

 

Bianca dragged Will all around the shop, pulling out a handful of a few different flowers, handing them all to Will for him to carry. It wasn’t like the flowers were heavy, but when Bianca had finally finished dragging Will around, his arms had been getting tired.

They returned to the counter where Bianca pulled out a few sheets of white and blue tissue paper, laying them out on the counter before taking the flowers from Will. The arrangement was a series of white and orange, which popped nicely from the azure paper wrapping it, and Bianca had the bouquet finished in just a couple of minutes.

As soon as she handed the flowers off, she was calling into the back room, “Nico, Sunshine’s here!”

Will was in the middle of saying, “Um, my name’s Will,” when Nico appeared, smiling brightly as soon as his eyes landed on Will.

“I’ll just leave you two alone for a minute,” Bianca said, shoving Nico in Will’s direction and shutting the staff room door behind her.

“Are those flowers?” Nico asked when they were finally close enough that Will could hand the bouquet off.

“Yeah, for you,” Will said, and Nico looked surprised.

Nico took the bouquet and was quiet for so long that Will was afraid that he hated it. Why would someone that’s around flowers all the time want them as a gift? He was an idiot. But then again, Bianca was Nico’s sister, so she should know what he likes, right?

Nico’s cheeks pinked up as he continued looking at the flowers, and finally looked up at Will when he asked, “Do you know what these mean?”

Will rocked back and forth from heel to toe, hands stuffed in his pockets awkwardly. “I was aiming for  _ would you go out with me, _  but Bianca helped with the arranging, and the look on your face is telling me that that’s not quite it.”

Nico grinned, ducking his head. “No, not quite.”

“Then what is it?” Will asked. “C’mon, you gotta tell me what I said.”

Nico led him over to the counter, placing the bouquet down and undoing the ties. “Are you sure you wanna know, Sunshine?”

“Of course,” Will answered, and Nico picked up a flower.

“A daisy represents physical attraction,” Nico started. “Basically  _ flower _ for ‘you’re beautiful.’” Nico snapped the stem in half and tucked the daisy behind Will’s ear. They smiled at each other for a moment before Nico looked away with another blush. “Of course, physical attraction can always be taken another way.” He picked up another flower. “Um, an orange rose means passion and desire.” Nico didn’t look at Will when he picked up another one. “This one is the same meaning, different flower.”

“And the little white ones?” Will asked.

Nico was pretty sure there wasn’t any blood in his body except for in his face. “That’s, um, coriander. Which expresses guilty pleasures and, um, feelings of lust.”

They were both silent for a moment, until Will started picking at some of the flowers left on the paper. 

He held out a handful of daisies. “It’s a little soon for the rest of that, but I, uh, I still think you’re beautiful,” Will said. “And I still want to go out with you, even if your sister tried to ruin my life just now.”

Nico grinned at him, gently taking the daisies out of his hand. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Sunshine.”

“Oh, also, my name’s Will.”

“Yeah, but I’m gonna stick with Sunshine.”

 

* * *

 

 

Nico looked upset when Will came into the shop one day. He was leaning heavily against the counter, eyes downcast, and didn’t even glance up when the bell over the door chimed.

Bianca got to Will before he could reach the counter.

“He’s a little mopey today,” Bianca told him. “Our sister was going to visit, but some things came up and she couldn’t make it. I haven’t been able to get a smile out of him all day.”

Will frowned, glancing in Nico’s direction. He was mindlessly tracing patterns on the counter with his finger.

“Hey, Bianca,” Will started, loud enough that he knew Nico would hear as he started backing towards the counter, “what’s cooler than being cool?”

“What?” Bianca asked in confusion.

Will hopped up on the counter next to where Nico was leaning. “I said, what’s cooler than being cool?”

Bianca shrugged, clearly not understanding what Will was looking for. Will shouted, “ICE COLD!” and fell back onto the counter, head hanging over the edge on Nico’s side, kicking his feet and punching his fists into the air as he continued, “Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alri--”

Will stopped when he felt something covering his lips. He could see skin and the collar of a t-shirt, and then whatever was covering his lips was gone, and Will saw Nico smiling down at him. Nico’s hands were cradling his head.

“You’re an idiot,” Nico told him, but he was still smiling.

Will beamed.  _ "You kissed an idiot!" _ he sang, and Nico rolled his eyes.

“Get off the counter, oh my god,” Nico grumbled.

Will pouted. “Can I get another kiss, first?”

Nico pushed at his shoulders. “Never again.”

Will sat up and swung his legs around to the other side of the counter. “I don’t believe you.”

 

* * *

 

Will entered the shop once and was presented with a crown. When he didn’t immediately take it, Nico placed it on his head.

“Why?” Will asked, adjusting the crown so it wouldn’t fall when he moved.

“You have a test today, right?” Nico said. “I made that for you.”

“For my test?”

Nico rolled his eyes, taking the crown back. Before Will could argue that he wasn’t trying to be ungrateful, Nico started pointing out flowers. “This is aster, for patience. Bells of Ireland for good luck. Black poplar for courage. And pear blossoms for comfort.”

As soon as Nico had finished speaking, Will was pressing an energetic kiss to Nico’s lips. “Thank you, Nico,” Will told him softly, still close enough that their noses brushed.

Nico’s cheeks pinked up. “Just take the stupid crown and get out of here.”

Will pulled back, tipping his head down for Nico to place the crown on his head once again.

Nico pulled Will’s back for another kiss. “Good luck, Sunshine.”

“I’ve got all the luck I need, thanks to you.”

Nico shoved Will back. “Oh my god, leave.”

“But my test isn’t for another half an hour,” Will told him with a pout. He reminded Nico of a puppy when he did that.

“Then go study. Luck isn’t everything.”

(Lou Ellen made fun of the crown when Will returned to campus. She stopped laughing when he got the highest score in the class.)

 

* * *

 

Will came to the shop one day when the di Angelo siblings were in the middle of an argument. Or a heated discussion. Or they were just talking very loud? And not in English?

As soon as Nico heard the bell chime as the door opened, his eyes were locked on Will. He was looking at him like Will was some kind of escape route.

“Oh my god, Bianca,” Nico said, cutting off whatever Bianca was saying (in Italian, maybe? They were Italian, right? Will thought so, but he’d never asked). “I can’t believe you dared me to go make out with Will in the staff room.” Nico was there, tugging on Will’s arm before Will could speak.

“That’s not what I--”

“That’s very unprofessional of you, Bianca,” Nico cut in again, dragging Will away. “But I’m not one to turn down a dare, so here we go, I guess.”

“Nico!” Bianca shouted from behind the counter, but Nico had already pulled Will into the staff room, pulling the door shut behind him. 

 

* * *

 

Will walked into the shop to see Nico sitting on the counter, legs swinging back and forth as he wove flowers together in his lap.

Will came right up to him, gently stilling his legs and leaning in for a kiss. Sitting on the counter, Nico was actually a couple of inches taller than Will, so Will had to lean up for the kiss.

“Hey,” Nico greeted when Will pulled back. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon, I haven’t finished your crown yet.”

“Is that another good luck crown?” Will asked, and Nico nodded. “I still have my other one, I think.”

Nico scrunched up his nose, and Will pecked a kiss to the wrinkled skin. “That one’s probably withered and falling apart by now. You’ll need a new one if you wanna keep getting the best grades in the class.”

Will grinned. “You think that’s all because of you and your flowers, don’t you?”

Nico stopped weaving. “Do you want me to stop? I can take this apart right now, and you can go ahead and fail.”

“No, no,” Will said, bringing a hand up to rest of Nico’s cheek. “I’ll take all the luck you can give me, darling.” He pulled Nico in for another kiss, much longer than a greeting peck, and they were so immersed in each other that they didn’t hear the door opening.

“Ew, gross, people might eat on that counter,” came a female voice that was unfamiliar to Will. Nico pulled back, setting the half-finished crown aside and hopping off the counter.

“Hazel!” he cried with a smile.

Will turned to see a dark-skinned girl that was (somehow) shorter than Nico, with big curly hair the color of cinnamon. 

“Will, this is my sister, Hazel,” Nico introduced. 

Will held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, smiling politely.

“You, too,” she replied kindly, taking his hand. Hazel looked to Nico. “What happened to--?” Nico tipped his head toward Will, and Hazel’s smile widened. “Ah, Sunshine! It’s very nice to meet you.”

Will blushed. “I’m stuck with that for the rest of my life, aren’t I?”

Nico sprung up on his tip toes, pressing a kiss to Will’s cheek. “It’s not the worst nickname to have, is it, Sunshine?”

Will smiled down at him. “Not at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks again for 300 followers!!! and thanks for reading!!


End file.
